Liu Weimin started the press conference with the following announcements:

At the invitation of Danish Foreign Minister Søvndal as well as Bahamian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Symonette, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will pay official visits to Denmark and the Bahamas from October 19 to 22.

It will be the first official visit by Chinese Foreign Minister to Denmark in 11 years and also mark the first high-level contact between China and the new Danish Government, which will be conducive to advancing China-Denmark comprehensive strategic partnership.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1997, China and the Bahamas have maintained exchange of high-level visits, deepened political mutual trust and obtained remarkable achievements in economic cooperation and trade as well as other areas of practical cooperation. We believe that Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's visit will further boost China-Bahamas friendly relations of cooperation.

Q: Will China consider bailing out the EU countries by increasing its loans to the IMF?

A: We have noted that the EU and leaders of the EU member states have adopted a series of measures to tackle the European debt crisis, and believe that the European countries have the capacity to mitigate the current debt crisis. What is pressing now is for the EU and relevant countries to implement those measures as soon as possible so as to stabilize the situation. China stands ready to work with the international community to tackle the challenges through enhanced cooperation and push for strong, sustainable and balanced global economic growth. In fact, China has always been providing support and assistance to Europe in its struggle against the debt crisis and will continue to do so.

Q: India and Vietnam recently signed the oil exploitation agreement. What is China's comment?

A: China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters. Our position and relevant claim in this regard are consistent and clear. We have noted the report and hope all relevant parties contribute more to the peace and stability of the South China Sea.

Q: The US recently accused Iran of plotting the assassination of Saudi Ambassador to the US. President Obama also indicated further sanctions against Iran without ruling out the possibility of military actions. What is China's comment?

A: We have noted relevant report and reactions of all parties. China upholds that in dealing with state-to-state relations, one should abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations and earnestly protect the safety of diplomatic personnel. We hope relevant countries resolve this issue appropriately through dialogue in a joint effort to maintain stability in the Gulf region of the Middle East.

Q: The US has sent special envoys to China, Russia and Turkey to discuss the above issue. What message has the US side delivered to China?